For the past 15 years, Trisha Hatfield Graves - a former mortgage loan processor - has been teaching Pilates classes. For most of that time, it's been at her own studio, the Pilates Center of Olympia.

"I opened this at a time when no one south of Seattle had opened a Pilates studio, so I felt like I was breaking barriers," she said.

Then in 2006, Graves, 55, tried her hand at breaking barriers again.

"I wanted to create a playful exercise, one where people didn't even realize they were exercising," she explained. "So I began to experiment and interface the principles of Pilates with other concepts, like pole and chair dancing."

"I'm a little more primal in my approach," Graves said. "I want it to be fun and I want people to laugh. They need to leave a class feeling good."

Her approach might explain why playground swings hang from the ceiling in order to encourage those who are hesitant to engage in new exercise, or why she and the other instructors insist that everyone in a class be involved and not just watch.

"It was wonderful to have a bunch of women (that don't really know each other) have a good time, dancing around a pole. I was never ridiculed or laughed at, only encouraged and supported," shared military spouse Susanne Haynie, who even held her birthday party at the studio last year. "I loved the fact that it was a very safe environment and that I learned to make the moves Trisha taught me my own."

Those without a pole at home needn't worry. Graves and her staff, which includes her daughter, Cally, teach modifications for the moves that can be done with walls, doorways and bed posts. As part of their Retro Tease burlesque class, they also provide help with hair, make-up and access to a full vintage wardrobe.

"These days with the Internet and Skype, partners have found far more effective ways to stay emotionally connected," said Graves. "Since men are very visual creatures, we help the women to create something that can simulate physical intimacy."

In July, Pilates at Play will offer another ‘Show & Tell' workshop aimed specifically at military wives with deployed husbands. Attendees will learn a dance routine to build their ‘mojo' and then have the option of filming it in an Mp4 format they can e-mail downrange or perform for their spouse upon redeployment. There is also a 10-percent discount offered to military when they sign up for classes.

However, Graves is quick to point out that these techniques are not just for women hoping to connect with their deployed spouses; rather, they can help every woman gain confidence, get in touch with their femininity and feel powerful. She herself grew up a tomboy and admits to never feeling sexy until she took up pole dancing.

"I was looking for a different exercise routine, since I was bored with going to the gym," said Army Reservist Chelsea Jones, 21, who has been attending classes in Olympia twice a month since November, when she returned home from Afghanistan. "I love these classes and totally recommend it to anyone willing to try."

For more information, pricing and class schedules visit www.pilatesatplay.com or call (360) 352-3444.

The center is located at 515 State Ave NE.